1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to online ecommerce systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for securely facilitating the advertisement and sale of goods or services in a online environment to familiar and unfamiliar parties.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Websites featuring online classified advertisements are commonly used to exchange a wide variety of goods and services, with most online advertisements typically made available and visible to individuals throughout the world. While this enables a greater number of potentially interested parties to transact business, the anonymous nature of the Internet also exposes advertisers' contact and other information to individuals with fraudulent or even criminal intent. Likewise, individuals may also be exposed to fraudulent advertisements, exposing the would-be buyers to similar risk of criminal intent.
Even popular ecommerce websites, though perceived as reputable, provide relatively few safeguards in an attempt to prevent fraudulent and criminal activity. For example, Amazon.com, eBay, and Craigslist each require an account to access the services provided. However, little is done to verify the account holder and the information provided by the account holder other than to ensure that the email address is valid. Amazon.com and eBay also provide secure server connections, but this merely encrypts data transmissions between parties and does nothing to verify that either party is legitimate with regard to the contemplated transaction. In fact, most such websites provide only limited FAQs intended to merely educate users as to how to prevent and to recognize fraudulent activity leaving it entirely up to the individual user to manage his or her own accounts and affairs.
Unfortunately, each added level of security in a transaction increases the burden on the parties involved in the transaction, which can easily lead to such onerous requirements that the parties chose not to transact business at all. The present invention addresses these shortcomings by providing systems and methods that allow a seller to readily verify the validity of a potential purchaser, and that allow a purchaser to readily verify the validity of a seller prior to consummating a transaction and without disclosing excess information concerning either party.